FAQs

Q: Why did you change your name? I love Chicago VeganMania!

A: Chicago VeganMania has been growing and changing for over 10 years! It started as an idea, and turned into a festival with around 100 vendors, speakers, chef demos and music that has attracted over 4 thousand people in one day! We have outgrown the current venue (The Broadway Armory), and need to move to a larger event space. Additionally, we want to do more than just put on one big festival and a couple of fundraisers in a year. Our mission and vision are changing, and so are we! But don’t worry, that’s a good thing! We love Chicago VeganMania, and it will always be the path that leads to Celebrate Vegan.

Q: What is your new mission?

A: Our new mission: Vegan education, outreach and community building through local events.

This means we have BIG plans for more events throughout the year, AND a new calendar spot for the big event! We are also in the process of getting our 501(c)3, which will provide more opportunities for growth and donations in the future!

Q: Will the main festival event still be called Chicago VeganMania?

A: The big festival event will no longer called Chicago VeganMania, It will be the “Celebrate Vegan Fest: Chicago,” and it will have its own fantastic logo and branding that will be shared soon. We are looking at a larger, more central venue near public transit and lots of parking to make the event as welcoming and accessible as possible.

Q: When is the main festival event in 2019?

A; Part of our rebranding and restructuring was looking at our calendar as a whole, as we are now an event focused organization. Because we are changing venues and restructuring the organization and our yearly calendar, we will not have a large scale festival in 2019. However, we are placing the main festival event earlier in the year for 2020. This allows us to plan more events throughout the year such as a Halloween event in the fall and a Holiday event in the winter.

Q: What events do you have planned for this year?

A: Check out our Events tab or our Facebook page for the most current info on upcoming events! If you have an idea for an event, or would like to partner with us please email info@celebratevegan.org!

Q: How do I stay up to date on the most current announcements and events for Celebrate Vegan?

A: As part of our exciting new plans, we have a special email list for people who want to be the very first to hear about announcements and events, have access to pre-sale tickets, and other exciting news. Sign up HERE to get emails in your inbox at least 24 hours before we go public. It’s our little thanks to you for supporting us.

Q: Who is behind Celebrate Vegan?

A: We will have all of our bios up shortly, some of us have been involved with VeganMania for years and some are amazing people who stepped up within the last year or two. We are super excited and confident in our Board of Directors, and we’re still building our advisory board. We are excited to announce our Board of Directors and main planning team below!

Sandi Swiss, Executive Director

Denis Luebke, Treasurer / Operations

Bryce Sabin, Operations / Greening

Amy Soria, Donations Coordinator / Secretary

Robert Smith, Volunteer Coordinator

Q: How can I get involved?

A; We could not do the work we do and put on events without all of our amazing volunteers! If you would like to volunteer for an upcoming event please sign up here. If you have a specialized skill that could help Celebrate Vegan in the future or you are interested in being on the advisory board please email our Volunteer Coordinator, Robert Smith at volunteer@celebratevegan.org with how your skills can make Celebrate Vegan even more amazing in the future!